All articles by Aaron Ginsburg

NYC Council approves bill limiting criminal background checks by landlords

Image courtesy of Emiliano Bar on Unsplash

December 21, 2023

NYC Council approves bill limiting criminal background checks by landlords

By Aaron Ginsburg

The New York City Council on Wednesday passed legislation limiting the use of criminal background checks by landlords when screening tenants. Sponsored by Council Member Keith Powers, "The Fair Chance for Housing Act" amends the city's Human Rights Law to prohibit landlords, owners, and real estate brokers from rejecting applicants based on past convictions. However, landlords can consider misdemeanor convictions from the last three years and felony convictions within five years. Other exemptions to the bill include certain sex crimes and one- or two-family homes where the owner also lives.
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The ‘2024’ numerals have arrived in Times Square ahead of New Year’s Eve

All images courtesy of the Times Square Alliance

December 21, 2023

The ‘2024’ numerals have arrived in Times Square ahead of New Year’s Eve

By Aaron Ginsburg

It's nearly time to kiss 2023 goodbye. The iconic, seven-foot-tall numerals that sit under the New Year's Eve crystal ball arrived in Times Square on Wednesday after a cross-country trip. The towering digits are on view at Broadway Plaza between 46th and 47th Streets through Friday, December 22 when they are placed atop One Times Square ahead of the ball drop on the 31st.
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Events & Things To Do

Upper West Side rental opens lottery for 52 mixed-income units, from $1,096/month

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

December 20, 2023

Upper West Side rental opens lottery for 52 mixed-income units, from $1,096/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Applications are now being accepted for 52 mixed-income units in a new luxury rental building on the Upper West Side. Located at 266 West 96th Street, the 23-story building includes 171 luxury apartments and exclusive amenities, including an expansive rooftop terrace. New Yorkers earning 70, 80, and 130 percent of the area median income, or between $40,526 for a single person and $198,250 for a household of five people, can apply for the apartments, priced from $1,096/month studios to $3,703/month two bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

East Midtown Greenway opens, with nearly 3 acres of public open space on the waterfront

Image courtesy of Skanska

December 20, 2023

East Midtown Greenway opens, with nearly 3 acres of public open space on the waterfront

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City has taken a major step forward in its effort to expand the greenway network. The city's Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and NYC Parks on Tuesday officially opened the East Midtown Greenway and the second phase of the Andrew Haswell Green Park, delivering nearly three acres of public open space, a new pedestrian walkway, a pedestrian bridge, landscaping, and a separated bike lane stretching from East 53rd Street to East 60th Street along the East River. The $197.6 million investment fills a significant gap in the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway.
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Paul Rudolph’s Modulightor Building is now an NYC landmark

The Modulightor Building. Photo credit: Joe Polowczuk

December 19, 2023

Paul Rudolph’s Modulightor Building is now an NYC landmark

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Landmarks Preservation Commission on Tuesday voted to landmark the Modulightor Building, an iconic building in Midtown East designed by renowned modernist architect Paul Rudolph. Located at 246 East 58th Street, the building was built between 1989 and 1993 to house the Modulightor lighting company founded by Rudolph with German physicist Ernst Wagner. According to the commission, the building stands out for its special character and its historical and aesthetic significance in New York City.
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These are the library books New Yorkers checked out the most in 2023

Photo credit: Jonathan Blanc / NYPL

December 19, 2023

These are the library books New Yorkers checked out the most in 2023

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's three public library systems on Tuesday revealed their most checked-out titles of 2023. At the New York Public Library, the most borrowed book of the year was "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus. In Queens, the top checkout was "Fourth Wing" by Rebecca Yaros, and in Brooklyn, "I'm Glad My Mom Died" by Jennette McCurdy.
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City Living

Vacant hotel near JFK Airport to become 300+ permanently affordable apartments

Rendering of the indoor/outdoor garden planned for residents at Baisley Pond Park Residences. Courtesy of OSD

December 18, 2023

Vacant hotel near JFK Airport to become 300+ permanently affordable apartments

By Aaron Ginsburg

An empty hotel near John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens will be converted into a permanently affordable housing development with 300 apartments. Slate Property Group, RiseBoro Community Partnership, and the city's Housing Development Corporation on Monday announced the acquisition of the former JFK Hilton Hotel for $64 million, the first step in converting the vacant hotel into homes for low-income households and formerly homeless New Yorkers. Construction is expected to kick off next month.
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The Whitney Museum announces free admission on Friday nights, second Sundays

Photo by MusikAnimal by Wikimedia Commons

December 15, 2023

The Whitney Museum announces free admission on Friday nights, second Sundays

By Aaron Ginsburg

The Whitney Museum of American Art will offer free admission and special programming on certain days every month next year. Beginning January 12, the Meatpacking District art museum will drop its "pay-what-you-wish" system on Fridays from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. and on the second Sunday of every month. During those times, admission will be free for all visitors.
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Events & Things To Do

Free six-acre light installation ‘Field of Light’ opens in Midtown East

Field of Light © 2023 Bruce Munro. All rights reserved. All photography by Serena Munro

December 15, 2023

Free six-acre light installation ‘Field of Light’ opens in Midtown East

By Aaron Ginsburg

A massive installation made of thousands of twinkling lights opened this week in Midtown East. Designed by Bruce Munro, Field of Light at Freedom Plaza includes 18,750 low-light, fiber-optic stemmed spheres that change colors and create a mesmerizing landscape across more than six acres next to the United Nations headquarters. The installation is free to visit thanks to the Soloviev Group, the developer who is proposing building a casino on the vacant site. The 12-month Field of Light is open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
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NYC’s worst landlord has 3,293 open violations across 306 apartments

The building at 410 West 46th Street is owned by Johnathan Santana and Daniel Ohebshalom. Tenants won a court battle to remedy unsafe conditions in the building, now placed under control by an outside administrator. Streetview of 410 West 46th Street © 2023 Google Maps

December 14, 2023

NYC’s worst landlord has 3,293 open violations across 306 apartments

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City's worst landlord broke the city's record for most open housing violations two years in a row. NYC Public Advocate Jumaane D. Williams on Wednesday released the 2023 "Worst Landlord Watchlist," an annual list exposing the city's most negligent property owners and ranking them by the number of hazardous housing violations in their buildings. Johnathan Santana took the number one spot for the second year in a row, breaking last year's record of 2,980 violations with a whopping 3,293 open violations across 306 separate apartments.
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Policy

Popular Articles

NYC unveils new protected bike lane on 10th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen

The new, extra-wide bike lane on 10th Avenue. Image courtesy of NYC DOT

December 14, 2023

NYC unveils new protected bike lane on 10th Avenue in Hell’s Kitchen

By Aaron Ginsburg

The city on Wednesday unveiled the first phase of safety upgrades to a stretch of 10th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen. Installed between West 38th Street and West 52nd Street, a new 10-foot wide northbound bike lane will more safely accommodate the growing number of cyclists, e-bike riders, and micro-mobility device users. Additional improvements include new concrete pedestrian islands, new bike corrals, and redesigned intersections to slow down drivers when turning.
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276 units available at affordable Passive House in East Harlem, from $498/month

Renderings courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

December 13, 2023

276 units available at affordable Passive House in East Harlem, from $498/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

Applications are being accepted for 276 mixed-income units at the world's largest fully affordable Passive House in East Harlem. Located at 50 East 112th Street, the building is the second phase of Sendero Verde, a mixed-use project with affordable housing, outdoor space, a school, community space, and retail. New Yorkers earning 30, 50, 60, and 110 percent of the area median income, or between $19,646 for a single person and $192,610 for a household of seven, can apply for the units, which range from $498/month studios to $3,169/month for three bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

New York to spend $50M restoring single-room occupancy units

An SRO in the famous Chelsea Hotel, featured in a 2018 6sqft story. Photo by James and Karla Murray exclusively for 6sqft.

December 13, 2023

New York to spend $50M restoring single-room occupancy units

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York is paying landlords to renovate and repair single-room occupancy (SRO) apartments as a way to provide housing for vulnerable New Yorkers. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced $50 million will be spent to rehabilitate up to 500 existing SROs across the state. Units in SRO buildings usually include one room with a sink and stove and access to a shared bathroom. A common type of housing in New York City until the second half of the 20th century, SROs cost less than the average apartment and appeal to low-income renters or those struggling with homelessness.
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Every NYC borough saw a decline in chain stores over the past year

Image courtesy of Peter Burka on Flickr

December 12, 2023

Every NYC borough saw a decline in chain stores over the past year

By Aaron Ginsburg

Nearly 250 chain stores in New York City have closed in the last year, the second-largest decrease since the pandemic began in 2020. The Center for an Urban Future (CUF) on Tuesday released its annual "State of the Chains" report, which found a 3.1 percent decrease in the number of chain stores across the five boroughs over the past year. This year's decline breaks a two-year streak of moderate growth of NYC chain stores.
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Real Estate Trends

Long-forgotten Bronx burial site of enslaved people designated as a landmark

Photo courtesy of the Landmarks Preservation Commission

December 12, 2023

Long-forgotten Bronx burial site of enslaved people designated as a landmark

By Aaron Ginsburg

A Bronx park with unique New York City history is now a landmark. The Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) on Tuesday voted to designate Joseph Rodman Drake Park and Enslaved People's Burial Ground, a colonial-era burial ground in Hunts Point that contains the long-forgotten site of a cemetery for enslaved people, as an individual landmark.
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Policy

Office-to-residential conversions could significantly lower NYC’s carbon emissions: report

Image courtesy of Carl Solder on Unsplash

December 12, 2023

Office-to-residential conversions could significantly lower NYC’s carbon emissions: report

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York City could drastically decrease its carbon footprint if the eligibility for office-to-residential conversions is expanded, according to a new report. In the study "Office to Residential Conversions: The Carbon Story," sustainable development consultant Arup found updating zoning rules to allow for more office buildings to become apartments could cut carbon emissions by 54 percent by 2050.
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Online auction to include timeless NYC items from the 20th century

Bob Dylan’s first album master reels. Photo courtesy of Guernsey’s

December 11, 2023

Online auction to include timeless NYC items from the 20th century

By Aaron Ginsburg

New York's Guernsey's auction house on Thursday will host "Iconic Items From The 20th Century," an online auction selling off rare items connected to some of the century's most influential figures. Among the treasures up for grabs are the original master tapes of Bob Dylan's first album and items intertwined with the history of NYC, including a signed Yankees ticket stub from the 1956 World Series and an original 1915 Coney Island carousel horse. Explore more of the legendary items Guernsey's has to offer below.
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Events & Things To Do

Revamped One Times Square, home to the New Year’s Eve ball drop, tops out

Image courtesy of Jamestown

December 8, 2023

Revamped One Times Square, home to the New Year’s Eve ball drop, tops out

By Aaron Ginsburg

The $500 million redevelopment of One Times Square, home of the New Year's Eve ball drop, is moving closer to completion. Developer Jamestown on Thursday celebrated the topping out of the project, which is transforming one of the world's most famous buildings into a year-round entertainment hub with a new visitor center, a viewing deck overlooking Times Square, a museum, and lots of advertisements. Located at 42nd Street and Seventh Avenue, One Times Square is expected to reopen to the public in 2025.
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New Developments

Leasing launches at Pearl House in the Seaport, NYC’s largest office-to-rental conversion

All renderings courtesy of Williams New York

December 7, 2023

Leasing launches at Pearl House in the Seaport, NYC’s largest office-to-rental conversion

By Aaron Ginsburg

Leasing has launched at New York City's largest office-to-rental conversion to date. Developed by Vanbarton Group and designed by Gensler, Pearl House at 160 Water Street in the Seaport District includes 588 luxury apartments and three levels of resort-style amenities at what was a 1970s-era office building. Pricing starts at $3,500 for studios, $4,700 for one-bedrooms, and $6,400 for two-bedrooms, according to Bloomberg.
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Hochul unveils plan to bring 2,800 homes to underused Creedmoor campus in eastern Queens

Image via WikiCommons

December 7, 2023

Hochul unveils plan to bring 2,800 homes to underused Creedmoor campus in eastern Queens

By Aaron Ginsburg

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday released the Creedmoor Community Master Plan, a proposal to redevelop 58 acres of the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center campus in Queens into a mixed-use community with over 2,800 homes, green space, bike infrastructure, retail, and amenities. State-owned Creedmoor has operated as a mental health center since 1912 and hit its peak patient population of 7,000 in 1959. Today, a majority of the campus sits vacant. Queens Borough President Donovan Richards and Empire State Development (ESD), along with the Metropolitan Urban Design Workshop, developed the master plan over six months.
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Apply for 56 luxury apartments in Rego Park, from $2,250/month

Rendering courtesy of the NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development

December 7, 2023

Apply for 56 luxury apartments in Rego Park, from $2,250/month

By Aaron Ginsburg

A housing lottery has opened for 56 middle-income apartments at a new luxury rental building in Queens. Located at 98-08 Queens Boulevard in Rego Park, Vista65 is a 22-story building with over 180 modern apartments and luxurious amenities like an outdoor terrace, fitness center, and a complimentary espresso bar in the lobby. New Yorkers earning 130 percent of the area median income, or between $77,143 for a single person and $198,250 for a household of five, can apply for the units. Apartments are priced at $2,250/month for studios, $2,695/month for one-bedrooms, and $3,295/month for two-bedrooms.
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Affordable Housing

See plan to replace former Harlem prison next to Central Park with 105 affordable homes

All renderings courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office

December 6, 2023

See plan to replace former Harlem prison next to Central Park with 105 affordable homes

By Aaron Ginsburg

A plan to replace a former Harlem prison with affordable housing is moving forward. Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday unveiled Seneca, the winning proposal for a project that will transform the Lincoln Correctional Facility at West 110th Street, which shuttered in 2019, into 105 affordable homes for purchase. The governor selected a team led by Infinite Horizons, L+M Development Partners, Urbane, and Lemor Development Group to develop the roughly $90 million project, which will go through a public review process before final approval.
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15 best ice skating rinks in NYC

December 6, 2023

15 best ice skating rinks in NYC

By Aaron Ginsburg

When the cool weather of fall fades into the freezing frostiness of winter, it takes a lot of effort to leave our warm, cozy homes. However, one festive activity that gets New Yorkers out of their apartments is ice skating, a New York City tradition since the 1850s. Ahead, find some of the best places in the city to ice skate, from gliding underneath the world's most iconic Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center to attending lessons hosted by Olympic skaters at Manhattan West and Brookfield Place.
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Fifth Avenue’s sparkling snowflake is brighter than ever

Image courtesy of the Fifth Avenue Association

December 6, 2023

Fifth Avenue’s sparkling snowflake is brighter than ever

By Aaron Ginsburg

Fifth Avenue's famous snowflake, a cherished New York City holiday fixture for 40 years, is back and brighter than ever. The Fifth Avenue Association and the Stonbely Family Foundation on Sunday celebrated the lighting of the refurbished snowflake, which features 16,500 sparkling crystals and new high-intensity full-color LED lights. The twinkling 30-foot-wide snowflake is suspended 50 feet above Fifth Avenue and 57th Street from four buildings: the Aman Hotel, Bergdorf Goodman, Bulgari, Louis Vuitton, and Tiffany & Co.
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Events & Things To Do

NYC to launch public e-bike charging stations for delivery workers

Photo by Thomas Loizeau on Unsplash

December 5, 2023

NYC to launch public e-bike charging stations for delivery workers

By Aaron Ginsburg

Just a few days after New York City saw its 18th death caused by an electric bike battery this year, Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday announced a new pilot program that will let some delivery workers charge their bikes outside. As part of the program, launching early next year, a variety of technologies to charge lithium-ion batteries will be tested at public docks across the city. Technologies include battery-swapping networks and secure e-bike parking docks with fast charging to docked e-bikes.
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